


The Specialness of Birthdays

by Kalira



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Birthday, Cuddling & Snuggling, Discord: Umino Hours, Family, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Kid Uzumaki Naruto, M/M, Minor Injuries, POV Multiple, Parent Maito Gai, Parent Umino Iruka, Umino Hours Discord Server 90 Minutes To Gift Exchange, Umino Hours Exchange 2020
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 17:02:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24350257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalira/pseuds/Kalira
Summary: Iruka has a very exuberant and devoted mate and guppy who want to make sure he knows how much he's appreciated with Grand Gestures for his birthday, not always with the best results . . . but really, whether things go wrong or not, all Iruka wants for his birthday is his lovely family.
Relationships: Maito Gai | Might Guy & Uzumaki Naruto, Maito Gai | Might Guy/Umino Iruka, Umino Iruka & Uzumaki Naruko
Comments: 18
Kudos: 70
Collections: 90 Mins To Gift - Iruka's Birthday





	The Specialness of Birthdays

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tobiramas-shoulder-fur (Catnerys)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catnerys/gifts).



> The keyword and colour I had to include in this were: training & yellow.

“Dad?” Naruto called cautiously, fins wriggling as he poked through the reef. He snatched his tail out of the clicking claws of a crab below, giggling and circling about the creature to poke lightly at it as it scuttled and clicked again.

A loud laugh and a trilling, echoing cry redirected his attention to the reason he was so far out here at all, however, and he swished his tail and hurried onwards. He followed the familiar sounds of the pair of mers he was looking for, looping around through a branching network of coral and finally coming out where he could see his parents.

Iruka darted away, the shimmery blues striping his tail blurring into one brilliant gleam he was moving so fast, and then Gai _lunged_ after him, big and solid and even faster than Iruka, almost a green _bolt_ in the water. Iruka laughed as he was caught but twisted his body and folded at the waist, bringing his tail up and curving more than really looked possible as he swatted Gai up alongside the head.

Gai fell back, fingers grasping at Iruka’s ventral fins, and Iruka twisted fluidly, pulling the whole length of his tail up between them, curled into the narrow space, then _shoved_. Naruto squirmed with excitement, watching as they sparred, always careful with each other, never hurting each other, sometimes more like a game than a spar.

One day _he_ was going to be like that, _just as good_ as his Daddy, he told himself, fidgeting with the edge of one of his fins between his fingers.

“Naruto! What are you doing here?” Iruka called with a smile, fins spreading as he held out one hand, fingers splaying also. “Come out.” he encouraged.

“Dad!” Naruto said happily, darting away from the coral and right up to Iruka, snatched into a hug. “I wanted to see you! I’m going to be as good as you one day, right?” he asked, head tipped back and chin resting on Iruka’s chest.

“Of course you will!” Gai said, not quite booming, patting his back. Naruto grinned.

Iruka stroked his hair, tail shifting against his own. “You didn’t come out on your own, did you?” he asked, almost inspecting Naruto.

“Nooo. . .” Naruto said, and Iruka gave him a _look_. “Uhm. . . I was playing and I was looking for Sasuke because you said to try again to make friends after last time even though he was _super mean_ especially to the girls and told me he’s just lonely and doesn’t know how to be nice and then he swam away and I followed but I lost him - I’ll do better next time I promise! - and then I was _almost here_ already so I came to see you!”

Iruka made a little huffing sound, gills flicking open and closed almost sharply, and Naruto squirmed, fins curling inwards. “I was really careful?” He paused. “I won’t do it again.” he promised, pouting.

“Not alone.” Iruka said, and nuzzled the top of his head. “It’s dangerous to swim out over the trenches alone, Naru. You’re very brave and very smart but you’re still a guppy.” he said gently, and Naruto pouted, but nodded, nestling closer against Iruka’s side with a little sigh. “You’re too little and the currents are too strong. And down in the trenches there are _dangerous things_.”

He _did_ know better than to go out across the deep trenches between the village and the training fields alone, but. . .

But he’d _really_ honestly gotten distracted following Sasuke, whose tail was so dark sometimes it was hard to keep track of him in the dappled, shadowy light of the terraces in the lower realms of the village, and then he’d got near the _kelp_ and- And really, Naruto had really really wanted to see his parents sparring again.

He smiled hopefully and Iruka gave a fond laugh and ruffled his hair, then tugged his dorsal fin. “Why don’t you swim with us while we cool down, and do a little practise yourself, mm?”

“Yay!” Naruto looped over backwards the moment Iruka let him loose, and beamed when Iruka grinned at him. He looped a few more times, happy and unable to hold _still_ , but made sure to pay close attention when they started to stretch out, following suit and listening when they told him what to do. Naruto knew if he wanted to be as good as them one day he would have to work really hard and also have to learn lots more.

But his parents were the _best_ and they were always teaching him. Naruto giggled as Gai snagged him in close while Iruka was collecting a few bits of shed gear from the seabed, cuddling into Gai’s cosy hug. “Good job, sunshine!” Gai praised, and Naruto beamed, throwing his arms around Gai in return.

“Since Naruto is here with us, darling,” Iruka began as he joined them, caudal fin flicking over both Naruto and Gai’s tails, “why don’t we go the long way around and pass through the crystal gorge before we head home?”

Naruto trilled excitedly, looking between his parents, hopeful.

“Ah, a lovely family outing!” Gai agreed, and Naruto trilled again, bursting out of his arms to loop around, twisting and flinging his arms out.

“Ooh! The crystal gorge! Do you think we’ll see any spotted rays? Do you think the turtles will be passing by?” Naruto asked, darting close to Iruka again. “What about the seadragon?”

“We shall just have to see, won’t we?” Iruka said with a small smile, squeezing the nape of his neck. “Come along, Naru.”

Naruto trilled and fell in with them as they swam, safe between their bigger bodies, and sheltered from the rougher currents as they passed over an even _deeper_ part of the trenches on their way further out from the village.

* * *

Iruka squinted as he picked a loose strip of pale blue fabric up from the floor of Naruto’s little den room only to find a small red-orange creature beneath it. A sea toad. Why was there a sea toad in Naruto’s room.

Iruka paused, sighing. Why indeed.

He picked it up by the tail and relocated it out of the centre of where the baskets _should_ be latched down - he would talk to Naruto about the fish later - replaced the baskets and secured them, lightly knotted the article of clothing around a narrow pillar for safekeeping, and-

He perked, one ear twitching, as he felt the currents within their den change. He smiled. The door being pushed out of the way for one of his family to enter. “Hello!” he called, slipping out of Naruto’s room, wondering whether it was Gai or Naruto or-

Iruka stilled in the pass-through to the entrance of their den. Gai bent gracefully, nudging the door closed with his bright tail without releasing his burden.

Cradled close in Gai’s arms was a bright yellow bundle of guppy and Naruto loved cuddles but he was _not_ inclined to be _carried_ when he could swim himself - so full of energy, always, so eager to do things for himself - and his face was pinched and a little paler than it should be and-

“ _What happened?_ ” Iruka demanded as he crossed to them, already reaching out to brush his fingers over the badly scraped patches on Naruto’s tail. There were scales not only scraped up and cracked but actually _missing_ in patches, torn out, disrupting his pretty orange and yellow patterning and leaving little arcs of raw flesh.

“He was training,” Gai said gently as he moved across the room, and Iruka moved with them, “ _alone_. He overstrained himself and then lost control of a spiral, he crashed into the coral and got stuck there.”

Iruka’s gills flared wide, and then he glared. “ _Naruto. . ._ ”

“I wasn’t at the training fields!” Naruto swore immediately, fingers curling into the heavy-duty fabric bands that crossed over Gai’s chest. “Not on my own!”

“He was just outside the play park.” Gai confirmed, gently shifting Naruto onto the soft cushioning on the floor in the main room, and Iruka relaxed a little, though he frowned as he inspected their brash little guppy.

“Your tail. . .” Iruka clicked unhappily, and Naruto sniffled.

“I’m fine! I’m fine I promise!” Naruto said, voice high and insistent, eyes wide. “I’ll be fine for your birthday tomorrow Daddy! I won’t be a-”

“You are _not_.” Gai said sternly, putting a hand on Naruto’s tail, which was twitching. He gasped and went still as Gai pressed him down, and a little of the tension went out of his body. He was _not_ fine and he was _definitely_ hurt, if not seriously. Not that Iruka had distrusted his mate’s assessment.

“But- Dad’s birthday!” Naruto almost keened, sniffling, his eyes dark. “We were gonna-”

“Hush.” Iruka soothed, bending and kissing Naruto’s brow. “All I want or need is the two of you, Naru. We don’t need to go anywhere or do anything,” he paused, eyeing his rather exuberant mate, “ _grand_.”

“But-”

“We’ll stay in. And no,” Iruka said firmly as Naruto began to speak again, smoothing a hand over Naruto’s side just to the top of his tail, “we will _not_ go without you.”

“You- You _could_. . .” Naruto said, fidgeting a little, and Iruka moved to curl around him, tugging his guppy in to rest against his stomach and tail.

“I absolutely could _not_.” Iruka said, tsking. “I would miss you the entire time and just want to be back here with you.” He hugged Naruto and nuzzled him playfully, gentle. “It is _my_ birthday,” he added as Naruto began to protest, talking about the _special plans_ they had made, which Iruka was only privy to part of, given how they had wished to _surprise_ him, “and _I_ want to spend it with you. That’s the special part.” He cupped Naruto’s cheek, fingers brushing the bottom edge of his ear.

The finned edges of Naruto’s ears splayed out a little wider as he smiled tentatively, then burrowed a little more snugly against Iruka. He cuddled Naruto closer, gently, inspecting his tail, and Gai murmured that he would go get the medical kit and disappeared with a flick of his powerful tail.

“What _were_ you doing?” Iruka asked, delicately checking that none of the little bones in Naruto’s fins were broken - they weren’t, though he yelped in pain as he tried to move one of his ventral fins. Iruka covered it with his hand, stilling it forcibly.

Naruto winced, his sharp teeth showing in a grimace, and Iruka made an expectant sound, even as Gai rejoined them.

“I was- I was _practising_ , training just like you!” Naruto said, and fidgeted his tail, sliding lower down Iruka’s body and turning in towards his tail, as though Naruto might be able to hide from Iruka in Iruka’s own fins. “I want to be as good as you, Daddy,” he said in a smaller voice, “and I know that means I have to _practise_ , like Papa says, _real hard_ and all the time! Yosh!”

Iruka glared at Gai, who smiled sheepishly, ducking his head, ears flattening. “Papa is much older and bigger and _tougher_ than you, yet, Naru,” he said gently, holding Naruto as Gai began tending to his poor battered tail; Gai was also not the best model of a responsible training schedule, for a guppy or otherwise - Iruka knew no one else who could keep up with his indefatigable mate, “I-”

“Youth!” Naruto cried, flinging his hands up and almost lunging. “Ow!”

“Naruto!” Iruka scolded, pulling him back down. “Easy, you’ve hurt yourself.”

Naruto settled down, allowing his injuries to be more easily tended to as Iruka scolded him firmly, then laid out some new rules about training - he’d discuss the issue further with Gai later, and work out something perhaps a bit more thorough, but it was best to address things immediately with Naruto - by which Naruto somewhat poutily promised he would abide.

“We just worry about you, sunshine.” Gai soothed, putting the medical kit aside and bringing himself gently closer. “You’re our precious little one.”

Naruto trilled softly, not quite uncertain, and stretched up.

Iruka wound his tail around his mate’s - the half-dozen shades of blue of his own striped tail blended cosily with his mate’s brilliant green, spotted faintly with paler green that only showed up when this close - and they sheltered Naruto between them. And held him _still_ ; their energetic little guppy was already fidgeting, despite how it must hurt his tail.

His sunshine-bright scales _shone_ between their bodies, as impossible to miss as Naruto always was.

“We want you to be safe, Naru.” Iruka confirmed, brushing a hand down Naruto’s back and cosying closer to his mate and guppy. “You’re strong, and you’ll grow stronger still, but. . .”

“Be careful?” Naruto filled in, pouting a little more.

Iruka laughed and tickled up his sides. “If you think you can _manage that_ , my silly little guppy.”

Naruto protested and giggled, squirming a little under the light prodding, tail securely held between Gai’s and Iruka’s own, unable to hurt himself by flailing too much.

“We will work _with_ you! You will grow to be the _strongest_ sunshine guppy!” Gai declared, making Naruto giggle again, fins fluttering. “But you must let us help you, little one. And you will need to grow up a little.” He tickled under Naruto’s chin.

“All right, all right. . . I promise.” Naruto agreed, yawning.

“Rest.” Iruka told him when he rubbed at his eyes with curled fists, huffing. Naruto grumbled, but he was already drifting off, held cosily between them and no doubt tired from his ‘training’ and his accident.

Iruka stroked his tail and fins, humming to him, reassuring himself that Naruto was truly all right.

“He will be fine, my Brilliant Beauty.” Gai said, voice low in deference to Naruto asleep between them. Iruka looked up, meeting bright eyes and a confident smile, and sighed, nodding. Gai stroked his jaw, reaching back to pull his hair free of its tie, and Iruka smiled, leaning close to kiss him.

“I’m glad you found him.” Iruka said, and sighed again. “What _was_ he doing?” he asked as Gai’s fingers ran through his hair and rubbed up the back of his head beneath it, because Naruto had answered his questions, but if Gai had _seen_. . .

They discussed it over Naruto’s head, along with plans for keeping him more occupied - and adding more definition to their rules for him, before he could find _another_ way to potentially hurt himself without breaking one.

* * *

“I can swim today!”

Iruka jolted awake, fins flaring. “What?” he asked groggily. “Darling?” He tightened his arms around his mate, the end of his tail reflexively winding more snugly over Gai’s as well, almost turning them over together.

“What is that, sunshine?” Gai asked, shifting in Iruka’s embrace.

“Happy birthday, Daddy!” Naruto cried, slamming into them, and Iruka laughed as he woke a bit more, winding his arms around his enthusiastic, adorable guppy. “I can swim today! My tail’s better! We can still go out for your birthday like special!”

“Thank you, Naru.” Iruka said gently, cuddling him close between them.

Naruto wriggled and curled his tail around the top of Iruka’s - he was moving a bit stiffly; he was _not_ ‘all better’, whatever he might try to say - and Iruka hugged him tighter. He couldn’t help but remember the tiny, defiant, not-quite-sobbing guppy he had found just off the reef three and a half years ago.

“My Naru.” Iruka said softly, kissing the top of his head and stroking down his back, idly tugging at his furled dorsal fin and making him giggle and squirm.

“Ready to get up and go-”

“No, Naruto.” Iruka said gently, hugging him down closer. “We’re staying in.” He paused, yawning.

“I think Daddy is still sleepy, too.” Gai said, laughing, and Iruka stuck his tongue out, because he spent too much time around his students to indulge in rude gestures, and anyway his hands were full with Naruto cuddled in his arms.

“Oh!” Naruto squirmed tighter against Iruka. “Sorry! Sleep more! You can sleep in! It’s your birthday!”

Iruka hid a laugh and didn’t point out it was difficult to sleep with a guppy shouting excitedly in one’s ear. He didn’t really mind, although he _was_ still tired, and sleeping in would have been nice. He patted Naruto and yawned again, resting his head against his mate’s shoulder as Gai shifted beneath him.

Gai ran his fingers through Iruka’s hair and he trilled low in his throat, content and cosy.

“Happy Birthday, my Brilliant Beauty.” Gai murmured, his voice a low rumble that shuddered through them both. “Go back to sleep. We’ll be here when you wake.”

Iruka hummed and Gai kneaded the nape of his neck gently, making him groan, muscles going lax. Gai spoke again, another low rumbling sound, and this time Iruka only half-listened, even as Naruto piped up in answer.

Perhaps he _could_ go back to sleep, he thought, just for a while, as Gai’s tail wound around his own and squeezed companionably, strong and familiar.

* * *

Naruto fidgeted but stayed by Iruka as Gai told him to do while Gai went off to go get breakfast. He’d promised they would both be there when Iruka woke up again, and he told Naruto he would be back swiftly - he believed it, Gai never lied and he was very fast - before he slipped on his hunting harness and left the den.

Naruto cuddled sleepily against Iruka, who was still asleep, his lips curved in a faint smile and one arm curled cosily around Naruto. Naruto reached up carefully; Iruka’s long, pretty hair was caught around the spiny tips of the bones of his ear. Naruto unwound the silky strands, and Iruka sighed, winding his other arm around Naruto as well, tucking his chin atop Naruto’s head.

Naruto smiled, tucking his face up close to Iruka’s lazily waving gills. “Love you, Daddy.” he said quietly, hugging Iruka tighter.

 _He_ fell asleep again before Gai returned, and he woke to a big hand on his hip and the sound of his parents laughing, warm and fond. He blinked, opening his eyes, and made a face as he looked up only to see Iruka and Gai kissing softly between affectionate nuzzles as Gai pulled Iruka’s hair back and wound it up with flowering sea grass in bright oranges and blues.

“Pretty!” Naruto said, and Iruka ducked his head, laughing a little, fins fluttering.

“You are beautiful, my love!” Gai said, and Iruka huffed, pushing lightly at his chest. It wasn’t enough to move Gai, and Naruto knew that Iruka wasn’t even _trying_ , just embarrassed. He didn’t know why; Naruto thought his Dad was one of the prettiest mers in the village, from his long, shimmery hair to the shining blues of his tail and his feathery fins.

“You are, Dad! You’re the prettiest!” Naruto told him, and Iruka shook his head, but he was smiling.

“Eat your breakfast, Naru.” Iruka said, gesturing, and Naruto squinted at him, mimicking his Dad’s own fierce glare. He laughed, and Naruto grinned and stuck his tongue out, then took the fruit and fish offered him, focusing on his breakfast as he’d been told.

He watched as Gai finished braiding and binding up Iruka’s hair, adding more of the flowered vines of sea grass as he went.

“What do you wish to do, my Brilliant Beauty?” Gai asked when he was done, kissing Iruka’s shoulder.

Naruto swallowed hard, not quite choking on the too-big bite of fish he’d taken. “You- I mean, _we_ can go to-”

“Don’t even start that.” Iruka said gently, resting a fingertip on his lips to hush him, and he pouted. “I would like a quiet day with my family.”

All of Naruto’s fins fluttered with the burbling happiness in his chest.

“If that is what you wish, then that is what you shall have.” Gai said, stroking Iruka’s side and winding his faintly-speckled tail around Iruka’s. “Come here, little one.” He beckoned, and Naruto hurried over to them, trilling happily as he was brought into the hug as well, just enough space opening up between his parents’ bodies for Naruto to cuddle into . . . just as they always did.

Naruto sniffed and buried his face against Iruka’s collarbone, hugging tight.

“Naru, are you all right?” Iruka asked, stroking his hair and down the back of his neck.

Naruto nodded. “Of course, Dad.” He looked up with a grin. “I just want your birthday to be _special_ , like you.”

Iruka smiled at Naruto, dipping his head to rub their noses playfully. “As long as you two are here with me, it will be.” he said, and Naruto still felt a little guilty for ruining the _special plans_ , but. . . He believed Iruka, and certainly Iruka seemed happy as they spent the day together, talking and playing games and staying in the den together.

Naruto had almost forgotten about their broken plans, save for the reminder that was the occasional twinge in his tail as he moved too fast - and his broken, scuffed scales, which Gai assured him would grow back in just fine.

Until he slipped into the pantry after dinner and spotted the basket that he had helped Gai make up to take with them on their outing for Iruka’s birthday . . . which they hadn’t been able to go on at _all_. He sagged, fins fluttering and then pressing close along his body.

“What is it, little one?” Gai asked from behind him, and Naruto fidgeted, _feeling_ himself beginning to pout. Gai’s tail swished, fins spreading invitingly wide. “Come on, sunshine, talk to me! Is something wrong?” he asked, a concerned look in his eyes, not quite frowning. Naruto fidgeted and Gai made an encouraging noise.

“Daddy can’t have a fancy birthday and it’s _my fault_!” Naruto barely managed not to _wail_ as the words spilled out, clamping his hands over his mouth and hoping Iruka hadn’t heard him, his fins wriggling.

“Oh!” Gai moved closer, big hands reaching out, and Naruto sniffled and let himself be pulled in. “Oh, no, no, sunshine. It’s all right. You know Daddy is happy.” Naruto swallowed, tail wiggling, and Gai hugged him. “And,” he added more quietly, and Naruto tipped his head back, looking up curiously, “if you like, next week when the moon is full, we can take him to the Glowing Beaches for a picnic!”

Naruto’s eyes widened. “Really?” he asked, gills fluttering. The Glowing Beaches were very pretty, with all the bioluminescent algae, especially in the light of the moon, and he _knew_ Iruka loved the beaches, and it would be _special_ to go on the full moon, even if-

“It will be our Secret Plan!” Gai said, beaming as he offered his pinky, and Naruto giggled and hooked his own around it, just shy of the webbing.

“Thanks Papa!” Naruto said happily, and Gai kissed his brow as they unlinked their fingers.

“Of course, my little sunshine.” Gai said happily. “Together we will make sure your Daddy is very-”

“What are you two up to in here?” Iruka asked suspiciously, and Naruto’s eyes widened.

“Nothing, my Brilliant Beauty!” Gai said brightly, and Naruto giggled and waved. Iruka narrowed his eyes at them, but he was smiling as he slipped through the door into the small pantry, long tail sweeping through loose, easy strokes. “Are you ready for dessert?”

“Not yet. Come back and get cosy with me.” Iruka said, eyeing them both. “It’s my birthday, so I get spoiled how I want, right?”

“Of course, Dad!” Naruto said, darting up and into Iruka’s side and hiding a wince as his tail throbbed with pain at the sudden movement. It had maybe been a bit too hard of a stroke for his tail. And it was maybe good that his parents had told him they wouldn’t go out today; it would have really hurt to try and go for a long swim, much less to keep up fighting the currents.

“Always, my love.” Gai echoed as he came closer himself, not quite squashing Naruto between himself and Iruka. He giggled and kept his place there, holding on tight to Iruka. “What is your wish?” Gai asked, almost singing, _so_ much louder than most mers ever got - at least if they weren’t _shrieking_. “What do you _long_ for? What-”

“Hush, you,” Iruka laughed at him, cuddling Naruto closer and tipping his head down, the sea grass coming loose from around one part of his hair waving lazily in the current of their movements, “you promised Naruto a story after dinner,” he said, and Gai made a sharp clicking sound, grinning as he nodded, “and if you’re going to tell a story. . .”

“Yes, my Brilliant Beauty?” Gai asked, bringing his open hands up.

Iruka trilled, amused. “Then _I_ want to hear about that trip you took last month, through the whirlpool tides and up the Rainbow Run.”

“Papa! You went _up a river_?” Naruto asked, eyes wide. He hadn’t been told about that.

“Ah, well-”

“You promised.” Iruka said, flicking his tail teasingly, and Gai laughed, nodding.

“So I did, my love.” Gai caught one of Iruka’s hands and kissed it.

“Tell the story! Tell the story!” Naruto begged, thrumming with excitement.

“Very well.” Gai grinned, flinging his hands out wide, his tail curled up just a little in a very steady pose. “I shall weave for you the most _thrilling_ tale of my adventures!”

“Good.” Iruka said happily. “Come back and get comfortable.” he added, slipping back through into the main room of the den, bringing Naruto along with him.

“Of course,” Gai said as he followed, “the most thrilling and wonderful part of the adventure. . .”

“Don’t spoil it!” Naruto said, eyes wide.

Gai laughed, sweeping them both into an embrace. “The most wonderful part of my adventure is the same as it always is,” he said as Naruto squirmed, clicking a protest, “to return to you, my little sunshine, my Brilliant Beauty.”

“Charmer.” Iruka said, curling his tail in an inviting flick as he stretched. He was smiling, eyes soft and warm. “Come on then, tell us a story, darling.” He opened his arms and Naruto darted right back into them, getting cosy. Gai told the _best_ exciting stories, but he moved around a lot and got very loud when he did; cuddled up with Iruka was the best place to listen anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> I've been meaning to try writing this ship for more than a year, this was a wonderful spark to finally write them a story. I hit as many of your preferred genres and tropes as I could with this, I hope you like it!


End file.
